Momentum E.A.T.S is now providing more free meals to food-insecure families.

For five years now, Cafe Momentum in downtown Dallas has been successfully operating as a nonprofit restaurant staffed by at-risk youth who receive life and job skills training after release from juvenile detention centers. So far, 750 adolescents have participated in the feel-good restaurant’s internship.

To continue the mission after dining rooms were ordered closed in March, founder and executive chef Chad Houser pivoted. His new approach to culinary social work is called Momentum E.A.T.S — engage, act, transform. Donations from corporations, other nonprofits and individuals have enabled Momentum Eats to provide 76,000 free meals to food-insecure families in Dallas and Richardson.

The idea for Momentum Eats came from a discussion with Chris Kleinert of Hunt Consolidated Investments and his nonprofit-savvy wife, Ashlee. The Hunts have financially supported Cafe Momentum and recently extended the program for graduates with Ruthie’s food trucks. Other major supporters include Patrick Brandt, president of Shiftsmart, who is paying labor costs for interns to package meals as a part of his company’s Get Shift Done initiative. In addition to providing employment for interns from low-income families, Brandt’s contribution allows for donations to go entirely to purchasing items for meal kits.

Richardson ISD students and families were initially the main recipients of Momentum Eats meals. The program has now expanded its support to Dallas ISD and Cornerstone Crossroads Academy, a “second chance high school” in South Dallas, as well as nonprofit organizations like For Oak Cliff, Feed Lake Highlands, and Poetic, an aftercare program for girls who’ve survived sex trafficking.

Cafe Momentum’s chief operating and development officer, Margaret Reid Windham, reports that about 20 interns are working in shifts to package meals. While there, interns meet with a licensed therapist called their case manager, as well as with an education coordinator who assists with online learning. During each shift, interns and Momentum support staff sit down for a family meal as a way for the program to register more “vital hours of influence.”

Intern Demondric Pratt says of the new type of work: “I like what we are doing. It feels really good to give help to people in the community when they need it.”

Momentum Eats has received a strong show of support from companies and nonprofits. Pecan Lodge’s Dinner Bell Foundation supplies bread from La Brea Bakery to fill meal kits. Dallas Container Corporation donated 5,000 boxes for packaging the meals and is now selling them to Cafe Momentum at cost, an offer that’s saved $22,000 so far. Julie’s Real has contributed 36,000 nut butters and baking mixes, and Alice Laussaude’s Meat Fight has given $500 plus another $1,500 in gift cards from local suppliers. Other supporters include the Rosewood Foundation, the Cultured Cup, American Airlines and Trusted World.

To continue the rate of providing 25,000 meals a week since the program began on March 24, Momentum Eats is seeking more corporate sponsors that can supply shelf-stable foods as well as individual contributions. Stand Together Foundation, a nonprofit network dedicated to ameliorating poverty, is maximizing monetary donations with a dollar for dollar match, up to $1,000 per donation.

Those interested in donating to the program can do so here. To express interest in a corporate partnership, email Cafe Momentum’s general manager, Timmy Combs, at timmy@cafemomentum.org.